Nightly Maelstrom
by Rose Mistress
Summary: Another Halloween and another feast waiting for the demons that live in the forest. But now a new evil has come in the form of a dark shadow that renders them dead through their dreams. Will they'll be able to stop this evil with use of the Forbidden Magi
1. First Night and First Meet

Zypher: Hi all and as you all know, it's that time of month again. Good ol' October and time for another Halloween story. This can be counted as a sequel to my previous Halloween story, Cursed Accommodations. So I hope you'll all enjoy Nightly Maelstrom. For those that waited for this, sorry for the extremely long wait but the category select was being evil so I had to wait a few days, more or less a week, for it to work but it's finally up now for all to read.

Summary: Everything has been going great for the demons and their new mates. But the peace didn't last long as an old evil comes back in the form of a dream eating shadow that takes away their unconsciousness bit by bit until nothing is left, rendering them dead but looks as if they were in eternal sleep. With the assistance of Forbidden Magics, they'll try their hardest to rid of the beast plaguing their once peaceful life.

Disclaimer: No own, so no sue for I will never own Yugioh.

* * *

Nightly Maelstrom

Chapter 1

* * *

Like flies, they've been, people once again tried to find out the mystery of the hidden home of the demons but all were fated to the same fate and yet they never learn their lesson, just keep coming. But the demons don't mind, only gives them more food to last for another year.

Now it was another cool, misty October night and four boys started to make their way into the forest and towards the trap always set for unfortunate victims. "A-Are you sure we should be going in here, boss?" The shorter, frightful looking boy asked.

"Don't be a baby, Kozuka. There has to be some secret in this here forest and I'm going to find it out one way or another. We may be filthy rich if we find out why these people who keep traveling into this forest never comes back." A taller, blond haired male wearing an American flag bandanna over the messy strands said, looking back to him and the other two.

"But...if we do that, how can we prove that to the press? Bringing back some remains won't help cause they may think its only a rabid dog or wolf." The red head, Takaido, spoke. "We'll figure out something once we see what's going on around here. But if it isn't some sort of rabid beast, I have this." The older spoke, holding up a video recorder.

"Whatever we get on here will be proof enough." They nodded again before they continued on their way through the forest, leading them further into the hidden trap.

* * *

Yugi was in the living room of the house, Lumina lying beside him. The young pup mewled softly as her white and grey fur was stroked fondly. His stomach gave a little growl of hunger and he patted it. "I'm hungry. Are you hungry as well, Lumina?" he asked, looking down to her.

She looked up to him and nodded before turning her head, ears perked up as she heard someone coming their way. Aqua smiled and he walked in, holding two plates. "Did I hear my little hungry mate?" he questioned playfully as he sat down beside him and held a plate out to him. "If I did, I made his favorite."

Yugi's eyes lit up. "You mean..." Aqua nodded as he gave him the plate with the favored delicacy on it. "Yep, one baked human heart, meticulously dipped in honey and filled with the sweetest of blood that can be found in no other human."

Yugi clapped his hands in delight as he took the plate and started to eat. "And for dear Lumina, grounded flesh dribbled with spiced blood." he spoke, placing the other plate in front of her and Lumina gave a bark of happiness as she started to eat as well.

As Yugi ate, he took a glance up to Aqua, smiling brightly. "It's such a surprise how many things you all can come up with using the flesh, organs and blood of the humans we get. It's almost like cooking regular food and taste just as great." Yugi said, taking another bite of his meal.

"Yes but we had years of experience. No regular mortal could succeed with the stuff we can make and even if they did try, they won't know the proper way to do so without burning the flesh, causing the blood to clot or turn bad or causing the organs to shrivel up. This is only things that true predators of the human flesh like us can prepare." Aqua explained, leaning down to nuzzle him.

After he and Lumina finished their meals, Aqua took their plates and left out the room with them following behind him. "So, do you think we'll encounter anyone who will try to find out the secret to the mysterious disappearances again this year?" Yugi asked.

"I'm sure we will. Like always, they may fear the forest and how the people never return but there will always be just one or a group of people who will come, thinking they will be able to find out why the people go missing and think they will be able to get away themselves." Aqua said, placing the dishes into the sink before turning to him and picked him up.

"Now, why don't we go and see what your friends are up to." he suggested and he nodded before looking down to Lumina. "Lumina, why don't you head out to the forest tonight and see if anyone wandered in. If they did, lead them here and we'll prepare for their _permanent_ stay." Yugi said and the young wolf nodded as she ran off and Aqua chuckled as he carried the boy upstairs with him. "Ah Yugi, a sweet little demon with half the heart of a true demon of the night just like us. You have adapted to our way quite quickly I may say."

"I have the best teachers and in more ways than one." Yugi whispered, arms wrapped around the demon's neck. Aqua murred softly, a hint of a smirk upon his snout. "Ah yes and our little student can also think of way to sway the teachers by giving them a little extra credit." he said, laughing softly as they walked down the hall to the game room they placed just for them just in case the olders were gone for a hunt, now able to freely do so without the curse upon the house anymore.

* * *

Stopping for a rest, Keith and the others camped out by a gnarled tree. "This forest is huge. We'll be dead by the time we find any clues to the disappearances." Kozuka said. "We'll find something soon enough but not while its pitch black out here. We'll sleep here and tomorrow morning we continue our search." Keith commanded and they all nodded.

After a few more minutes, they were all asleep and Lumina sniffed them out. She examined them quickly before finding them to be the perfect feast and howled a song of various pitches and soon, shadows started to come out from behind the trees. /"Did you find a feast for the masters, my child?"/ One asked and she nodded, motioning to the sleeping figures.

The shadow nodded before walking out, revealing himself to be Eclipse and then looked to the glowing red eyes of the shadows behind him. /"Take them back to the house and inform Master Yami that their Hallows Eve feast has arrived."/ he said and the anthro wolves came from their hiding spots, lifting up Keith, Kozuka, Takaido and Sakate.

Armor clicked together as the four Pitch Black Warwolves marched in a line, the moonlight glistening on the blood red tipped black blades strapped to their sides and their midnight black fur.

Eclipse and Lumina followed beside the line, keeping an eye to make sure none of them woke up while they were heading to the house. Once they got there, the door was already opened and Destiny sat in the foyer, looking to them. /"Are they the next people for the feast?"/ she questioned.

/"Yep. Lumina found them not far from the house and they were asleep and look like they will be asleep til morning so we should have nothing to worry about."/ Eclipse said. She nodded before telling them to take their guests to their rooms while she went to inform Yami about their next feast for the year.

In his room, he was locked in a passionate kiss with Yugi, fingers twined in the soft strands and clothing rumpled. Destiny walked in through the shadows and with a meow, she caught their attention. Yami broke the kiss and looked down to her, a cat smirk upon her face as she looked to the.

/"Glad I came now instead of later or else I probably would've embarrassed you two by catching you while you were indecent."/ she purred and Yugi blushed while Yami mock-glared down to the cat. "Oh hush, Destiny. Now, is there something you need?" he asked.

/"Why heavens no. Maybe except for some food but enough about me."/ she said with a laugh as she hopped onto the bed and curled into Yugi's lap, gaining a pout from the older demon. /"But I do have some good news. Lumina and Eclipse came back with this Hallows Eve feast."/ she said. "Oh really? This is wonderful. I started to doubt people would be smart enough and stop coming into the forest but I guess there are those that are curious and don't know they're risking their lives." Yugi said.

Destiny chuckeld and nodded before jumping off his lap. /"Shall I tell the others?"/ Yami nodded and she soon was gone through the shadows. Once she was gone, Yami cotninued his fun, now nipping Yugi's neck lightly. She poked her head back in. /"And mind keeping it quiet? Us girls do need out rest."/ she said, laughing as she dashed back into the shadows before Yami could catch her.

* * *

"It's about time. I thought those humans would be fearing the forest and then we would have to pick them off ourselves." Bakura spoke as he received the info from Destiny. /"Yes but as the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat and satisfaction brought it back."/ Destiny spoke.

"Yes but they won't be finding satisfaction as easily. As the saying said, their curiosity is what will kill them." he said. /"Well, I must tell Seto, Crimson and Ruby about our new guests so I'll leave you two alone."/ she said before leaving the room.

Ryou looked up to Bakura, smiling softly. "Wonder how Ruby's going to plan this year's meal?" Ryou questioned. "I'm sure he'll have something good in mind. Before we met you all, he always prepared the best feast and it looks like we'll have more of a great feast because there's more people than we usually get." Bakura said, running his fingers through Ryou's hair.

* * *

After telling Ruby, Crimson and Seto of their visitors, they all headed to bed so they could wake up earlier in order to plan the next feast but all wasn't well as a dark shadow floated into Bakura's room and with an evil chuckle, entered into Ryou's mind, seeing him as the weakest demon out of them all.

Ryou's face scrunched up in pain as the shadow did its work, changing his once peaceful dream into a nightmare. It was a few minutes of tossing and turning before Ryou bolted up in bed, heart pounding and eyes wide with fear.

Bakura woke up as well and looked to him, never seeing the shadow leave from Ryou's mind and combine with the shadows of the room. "Ryou? Ryou, what wrong?" he asked as he brought the younger into his arms.

"It-It's nothing, just a bad dream. A very bad dream." he whispered as he buried his face into Bakura's chest. "Want to tell me about it?" Ryou shook his head and just kept his face buried in Bakura's chest.

_'Something must've really scared him bad in that dream. Hoepfully its nothing that going to affect us all. Especially when we're just getting peace in our life.'_ he thought as he kept Ryou in his arms and soon, they both were back asleep, never seeing the dead white eyes watching them from the shadows, non-existent lips turned up in a smirk.

* * *

Zypher: And there we have it. The first chapter of the story and already problems are starting to happen after having their life at peace again. Well, if you want the next chapter, you all know what to do. And I'll see you all laters.


	2. The Secret and the Beast's Next Target

Zypher: Hi all, glad to see you again. Thanks for the reviews and here's another chapter for you all.

Note to Yami and Yugi's Genie: I have no idea what I'll make the beast in this. Probably something like a familiar to the witch that was freed when she was killed and kept itself hidden until the right time where it would believe to be the right time to break the demons' will for what they did and then when they beg for death, the beast would gladly do so and reclaim the house in name of the witch.

* * *

Nightly Maelstrom

Chapter 2

* * *

The next morning, Keith woke up to finding himself in a meagerly decorated room, the large brown drapes obscuring the morning sunlight. _'How did we get here?'_ he wondered before looking down as he heard a mewl and saw Destiny sitting there, note around her neck. He took the note and read the greeting before getting out of bed and went to freshen up. Destiny gave a smirk before leaving out the room to go see if Yugi and Yami were awake.

* * *

Back in Bakura's room, Bakura watched as Ryou slept. _'What could've happen in that dream? I want him to tell me but I don't want to force him to tell me.'_ He sighed softly before stroking his forehead and Ryou smiled in his sleep. He got up out of bed and after getting ready, left to head downstairs.

* * *

After gathering Kozuka, Sakate and Takaido, Keith led them downstairs into the dining room which was already prepared with a little breakfast buffet. "Well, this was unexpected. I didn't even know people lived here." Takaido said as they sat down at the table and started to eat.

Kozuka heard footsteps coming downstairs and looked up to see Yugi standing in the doorway. "Ah, you must be the people from the forest. Welcome to our home and I hope you enjoy your stay here." he said as he walked over to the table and sat down on the other side.

"Hey kid, do you own this house?" Keith questioned. "No, I live here but this house is owned by four others and their close friends. They'll be down here soon." he said as he started to eat. Soon, the others came down and introduced themselves to Keith and his crew before Kaiser decided to give them a tour of their home while the others were left to decide how they will prepare them for the feast. "I say make it a fancy gourmet meal. Since we have double the people we usually get during this month." Bakura spoke out.

"I have to agree with him." Seto said, looking over to Ruby who was mulling over the thought. "What do you say, Ruby?" he asked. He looked up to him before nodding, smirking. "I think I can create a good meal out of them but may I suggest one thing." he said and Yami looked to him. "What would that be, Ruby?"

"I want to suggest something about the pale looking boy. Why don't we let him stay with us?" Ruby spoke. "What kind of suggestion is that? He nothing but food to us now. We already have our mates and there's no reason to bring more to stay here except until Hallows Eve which is where they will die." Crimson spoke up.

"I know, I know. But think about it. His appearance can frighten people and he is as pale as a ghost. Seeing him may entice even more to come but just to make even more come to the forest, we will have to let just one victim free." Ruby spoke.

"Are you sure this is wise? Who knows what will happen is just one is let free." Seto said, looking to him. "Actually, he may just have a point. Someone like the boy could draw in a lot of people since with his appearance, it was make more people curious about where he comes from and how he appeared in the forest when so many are rumored to enter and never come back." Aqua said. They thought over this before they agreed. "Then looks like just one out of our little feast will learn about our secret and be safe all the same." Bakura said with a smirk.

* * *

Later in the day, Ryou went to take a nap, unaware of the danger that was coming to him once again. /Such a sorry soul. You wasted your mortal life to mate with a demon. That is your downfall. People think demons can't be destroyed but there is only one way. From the inside./ The shadow spoke, grinning darkly as he slipped into his mind and his dreams.

-Dream-

Ryou sat in a quiet field with a brook streaming not far from him. Flowers and trees grew around him and he enjoyed the peace. Even as a demon, he still enjoyed the peaceful times that he used to enjoyed before he met Bakura.

Soon, his world turned dark and he gasped, remembering the same exact thing happening the night before. The flower wilted. The trees died. The brook dried up and the sky turned red with black clouds. He stood up quickly and looked around, trying to find the beast that was in his dreams before.

A snarl was heard and he turned around shakily as he looked upon the dead white eyes gazing at him. The full black bodied beast came out, his form looking like that of a lizard like dragon with no wings and sharp teeth protruding from its mouth, dripping with a green liquid and where it spilled, it burned through the grass and part of the ground.

"No, leave me alone." Ryou whimpered as he backed away from the beast before him. /Alas, I will not. I have came here to complete a goal and I will one way or another./ The beast spoke.

Ryou quickly jumped up and tried to run but the beast lunged, trapping him under his claws. Ryou has tears running down his face as he tried to escape. "Please, let me go. Please." he whispered but the beast did, only opened its mouth, revealing the poison tipped fangs and a tendril came from its mouth, attaching to Ryou's forehead and his eyes dulled as the beast started sucking away his consciousness.

* * *

Bakura heard Ryou's screams of terror and quickly made his way up to his room through the shadows, seeing him toss and turn on the bed, perspiration beading down his forehead as he tried to get away from the invisible enemy. "Ryou!" he called, running over to the bed.

"Ryou, wake up! Wake up!" he called again, shaking him but Ryou was still stuck inside the dream world, leaving him vulnerable to the beast within his dreams. Bakura knew this would be difficult so he placed two fingers upon Ryou's forehead and closed his eyes in concentration to try and locate the reason couldn't wake.

-Dream-

The beast removed the tendril, looking up as he felt the oncoming presence of Bakura and grinned down to Ryou. /Looks like you will live another day but the next time I come, you won't be awake to see your dear mate's face ever again./ The beast spoke with a laugh as he disappeared.

-End Dream-

Ryou's eyes shot open and Bakura's opened as well as he looked down to him. "Ryou, are you alright?" he asked softly, wrapping his arms firmly around his shivering mate. Ryou had tears gathering in his eyes again as he wrapped his arms around Bakura, not letting him go. "Bakura...I can't go back to sleep...Please don't make me go back to sleep..." he pleaded.

"Why? What's wrong? What happened in your dream?" he asked again. Ryou explained what he witness in his dreams and Bakura started to growl and then picked up Ryou, getting out of the bed. "We need to see about this. How this beast claims it can kill you in your dreams may become a problem to the rest of us and we need to deal with this problem while its still a mere threat." Bakura said as he took Ryou through the shadows and to Yami's room.

* * *

After the little tour, Kaiser left them to their own and they all split up, Keith looking around for any hints in the house that may lead to the missing people. Kozuka, being left alone, started to shake a little in fear and was about to head back up to hi room when he bumped into someone and gasped as he looked into Crimson's eyes.

"Hey kid. What are you doing all by your lonesome?" he questioned. "Uh, I was just about to head back to my room." Kozuka spoke as he tried to get past the other but Crimson grasped his shoulder, leading him the other way. "Nah, that will be boring since you'll have nothing to do until lunch. Why don't you take a walk with me." he said, grinning as he led Kozuka away.

Kozuka gulped slightly in fear but followed either way, mostly because of the fact that crimson still had a hold of his shoulder. They headed out into the garden and Crimson finally let him go and Kozuka let out a sigh of relief. "I tell you, kid. Living here is the best thing for us." Crimson spoke. Kozuka looked up to him, curiosity showing slightly in his features.

"Why do you say that? Don't you know the entire city of Domino fears this forest because every time people come in, they go missing? Some claim that this forest is haunted and since it's always October people want to venture into the forest, they named this forest Gorgorath Taur, the Horror Forest." Kozuka explained.

"Well, let them believe what they will. If people are foolish enough and cause themselves to get lost then that's their fault." Crimson said. "That's true but still, what about a beast some people say appears out of this forest to capture people to bring back?" he questioned. "Must be a trick played on them." Crimson spoke, surprised that people may have actually seen Eclipse during the night.

They were silent a while longer before Kozuka claimed he was going to head up to his room, still a little irked with being with the other. Crimson held him back once more, grinnign down to him. "Hey, I have a proposition for you. Do you really want to know about the mysterious missing people who never come back?" he asked and Kozuka nodded.

"Then when I tell, you must agree to live here with us cause once you learn, if you think you will get out of here alive, you better think twice." Crimson spoke darkly and Kozuka shivered but nodded. Crimson smirked and patted his shoulder.

"Good. Meet me here tonight at midnight and make sure none of your friends follow. If they do, I will know and then I won't be here when you get here." he finished before leaving Kozuka alone in the garden. He shivered at the thought about what he said if he told anyone about what he was going to learn but shrugged it off and headed back into the house and up to his room, staying there until lunch time.

* * *

In the shadows, the shadow of the beast cursed slightly in anger, knowing that since Ryou told Bakura of what happened, the demons will be more aware of its presence. _'But even if they are, they won't be able to know who I will go after next. They all can't stay up forever and once they go to sleep. I'll strike.'_ It thought as it looked to the demons now gathered in the library.

_'Now, who to target next?'_ The beast looked over Jou, Diamond, Yugi and Kaiser before smirking. _'You're next.'_ The beast though with a grin, white eyes glancing down at Jou. _'And with you being a heavy sleeper, I may just finish you off in just one night.'_ The beast chuckled before disappearing, waiting for nightfall so it can strike its new target.

* * *

Zypher: And that's all for this chapter. The beast is still making its advance to destroy them one by one and is now aiming for Jou. And by all means, this is probably the only story ever where you'll see me be nice to anyone, I repeat, _an-y-one_, in Keith's little group since I hate the guy in general. If you want to know what happens next, you all know what to do. See you soon.


	3. The Loss of One

Zypher: As always, thanks for all your wonderful comments and like a wish, I grant you another chapter to Nightly Maelstrom. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Nightly Maelstrom

Chapter 3

* * *

As it got later into the day, Yami and the others were gathered in the library to discuss about the matter at hand. Ryou, still shaking, curled in Bakura's arms. "So, Ryou said that he encountered a beast within his dreams and it claims to be taking away his life?" Yami questioned and Bakura nodded.

"Yes and he's not lying either. When he was attacked, I couldn't even wake him until I used some of my magic and I guess the beast ran off before I could locate it." Bakura explained. "Well, this does sound like a problem and we need to solve it before it gets worse." Yami said then looked over to Seto. "Any idea what we should do?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know if we can be rid of this beast if it can only be seen in dreams," Seto started as he stood and walked over to one of the large bookshelves and took out a book. "But I have heard of something that may help us but it is difficult to gain and to use." he said as he brought the book over to the table and open to a specific page and they gathered around the book to see what he found.

"The Black and White Magics? How can they help?" Crimson questioned. "Using these magics, they can possibly locate the beast and get rid of it before it can cause more damage to the rest of us." Seto said. Aqua scanned over the pages before looking back to Seto. "But it says here that only one of light and one of darkness can control the Black and White Magics." Aqua spoke.

Bakura huffed, crossing his arms. "Well, then we surely won't be doing anything. Not one of us is pure of light. Only darkness." he said before standing up, holding Ryou close. "I'm heading back into my room. If you come up with something else that will actually work and I'll come back to hear it."

After speaking that statement, he walked out. They watched him go before Aqua sighed. "He may be right. We need to think of something else since we don't have anyone to accept the power of the White Magics." he said before he too stood up.

The others followed his example and started filing out of the room, the shadow following behind them.

* * *

Later that night, after everyone had dinner, they headed to their rooms, ready for bed. Once everyone was asleep, Kozuka stayed up til it hit midnight and got up, leaving to head outside to meet up with Crimson.

He turned back to make sure no one heard him or was following him before heading out into the garden and saw the midnight black sphinx looking up to the stars. Feeling his presence, he turned and smirked to the other. "Glad you could make it, kid." he said as he walked over to him.

Kozuka nodded slowly, looking up to him. "S-s-so, what was it y-y-you wanted to tell?" Kozuka questioned, voice quivering. "Now, what I'm about to tell you is a secret you best not tell anyone. Not one of your friends either, got it?" he said, looking down to him with a serious glance. Kozuka nodded and Crimson walked a ways from him.

"Well, this secret will answer all questions of why people disappear in the forest every Halloween. It's because we're demons. Each one of us. Bloodthirsty, flesh eating demons." Crimson spoke, looking back to him, fangs showing in a dark grin. Kozuka gasped and fell back, trying to back away from the other quickly.

"And now, your little friends fell for our trap. We always grant those that venture into the forest our hospitality but once it is Halloween, all our work to fatten them up, you could say, will be worth it. And do you want to know why?" he questioned.

Kozuka shook his head, still shaking like a leaf as he tried to get away from the other, mostly thinking in his panic filled mind to run back and get his friends out of the house. He blinked once and Crimson was gone from his vision and he thought the other disappeared back into the house since he didn't want to know what happened the their victims that stayed in the house.

"We eat them." A voice whispered into his ear from behind and Kozuka screamed in terror, turning to see Crimson behind him, grin still present on his face. "Now that you know, I hope you will stay to our terms of agreement and you won't speak a word of this to your friends. Do so and you'll be joining them in our feast." Crimson spoke and Kozuka nodded.

"And don't think of trying to tell them when we're not around. We have eyes and ears all around the house and try to tell and they will tell us." he continued before placing a lengthened claw underneath his chin. "Keep this little secret and you'll live with us without fearing that you'll be killed." he whispered before letting his head fall and stood up.

"Now, it's late so go ahead and get to bed." Crimson said, his features now reverting back before he left Kozuka to sit in the garden. _'I should get Keith, Sakate and Takaido out of the house but if I do, he'll probably stop me.'_ Kozuka thought as he stood and headed back to his room silently.

As the night continued on, the beast started its advancement towards Jou, no one sensing it near and it licking its lips as he looked down to his next meal. _'Like I said before, he's a heavy sleeper so he will be an easy kill.'_ The beast thought as it slipped into his dreams and started its feast.

* * *

Yugi tossed and turned in his sleep, a dream that was more like a premonition coming to mind.

-Premonition-

He along with the others, noting that Jou, Diamond or Ryou wasn't with the group looked at the beast that was now revealed to them. "Give us back the lives you took! I will not tolerate our kin being destroyed by you!" Yami hissed. The beast laughed, the sound sending a shiver down Yugi's spine.

/Give them back? I could but you'll have to give something in return. I have lived in the shadows ever since you killed that witch. I was known to be her familiar and was only freed when she died. You brought this upon yourselves but I'm willing to return what I have taken, only if you agree to my proposition./ The beast spoke, looking towards him which made him nervous.

"What is it then?" Bakura questioned, his featured twisted into unbridled anger for the loss of Ryou by this beast. /Give the one called Yugi's hand to become my mate./ The beast finished and Yugi gasped while Yami snarled. "Never! Aqua nor I will let you have him!" he hissed.

/Then the ones named Ryou, Diamond and Jou will be lost to you forever./ The beast finished. Yugi looked to Seto, Crimson and Bakura, seeing their look of defeat and then back to the beast. He stepped forward from Aqua's loose embrace and he called to him. "No, Aqua. If this will bring my friends back, then I must." Yugi said.

/So, you will agree to my proposition?/ The beast questioned, eyes expressionless but his tone and the smirk upon its face said otherwise. "Only if you tell us, all of us, why you want me as your mate. Can't you clearly see that I'm with Yami and Aqua?" Yugi stated.

/Yes and I envy them. I may hate them for killing the witch but I envy them for the love they are able to share with you and your friends. Ever since they have killed the witch, I watched as the years went by, killing victim after victim every Hallow's Eve./ The beast started, walking over to him and circled around him, body brushing up against his. Yami was about to attack but he was held back so he had to settle for glaring heatedly at the beast.

/Then you and your friends came. To me, it was like love at first sight but I reacted too late and you became Yami and Aqua's mate. And I knew if I couldn't have you, they deserve no one and feel the heartache I do for as long as I have to share this home with them with no love./ It finished, stopping in front of Yugi and looking to him with those emotionless eyes.

"I won't allow it! Yugi, don't go with that thing!" Yami pleaded, looking to him. Yugi looked back to him and then to the beast. "I know, Yami. But if I don't, it will continue to kill my friends and then it will soon aim for you and the others, leaving me without protection and then it will come after me." Yugi whispered.

"You can't, Yugi! Please, don't leave with that thing!" Yami called out again, freeing himself from Aqua's grip and ran over to the younger, wrapping his arms around him. Yugi returned the embrace and gently stroke Yami's hair in a soothing motion. "I don't want to but I must. Just promise me that you'll find a way to kill this beast, for me." Yugi whispered and with flowing tears, Yami nodded and soon let him go.

Yugi gently touched his cheek before turning to the beast. "Alright, I'm ready to go." he said and the beast smirked. /Good./ It leapt towards him, catching his shirt in its teeth before leaping into the shadows and out of sight of the others, Yami's sobs echoing through the room as Yugi left his life for good.

-End-

Yugi shot up in bed and wrapped his arms around himself for comfort. _'That must be it. That's what the beast wants. It wants me. I don't know if it's true but if Ryou, Diamond and Jou die by its hands, then I know what will come next and I may have to make that same agreement to keep everyone else safe until they can learn of a way to defeat that beast.'_ he thought.

Yami stirred before looking up to him. "Yugi? Are you ok? Did the beast get to you?" he asked quietly. "No, it's alright. I tell you another time." Yugi whispered and Yami nodded as he went back to sleep.

He reached down and stroked Yami's cheek before lying down as well. _'I don't want to leave either of you but I must if it means your lives will be spared.'_

* * *

The next morning, Seto woke when he felt that something was wrong. He looked over to Jou and gasped when he didn't see his chest rising and falling with air. "No..." he spoke quietly as he checked to see if he had a pulse but there was nothing, only coldness.

Seto clenched his teeth in anger, trying to keep his sadness from welling up, as he stood from the bed and got ready, eyes drifting over to the prone form of his mate, his life taken by the beast that now haunted everyone's thoughts and soon, each one's dreams until no one is left.

As he descended down the stairs and into the room, some looked up to him, eyes showing question about where Jou was. He only gave a motion saying he will tell them once they get into the library. After finishing breakfast, Keith, Sakate and Takaido eating twice as much, they all left to do whatever they felt like doing and they all met in the library once more. "So, where was Jou?" Aqua questioned. Seto closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he spoke two words that froze each soul in the room.

"He's dead."

A sob was heard and Bakura wrapped his arms around Ryou, tears coursing down the porcelain face of the younger at the thought of his friend's life being taken. "Looks like that beast got its first victim and it probably won't stop until everyone is dead." Aqua spoke, looking to them.

"Then we need to find a way to kill it! I'm not going to sit around, acting as if life was normal, while some life sucking beast that can enter dreams steals away the consciousness of my mate!" Crimson growled, holding Diamond close.

"We will figure out something but first we need to figure out a way to keep it out of our minds. If we can do that, we can maybe come up with something that can make it visible in real life." Yami spoke.

"And what makes you think that's possible? We don't even know where that thing is and I know that it won't stay in one place." Bakura spoke. "But that's where you're wrong. The only time it could be stationary is when its in someone dreams.

"He caught Jou because he was a heavy sleeper so he didn't move an inch to alert Seto while the beast took his life but if it were to aim for Ryou again or anyone else, we may be able to catch it before it can kill anyone." Ruby explained. "So, at the most, he will go for the vulnerable ones which means it will possibly aim for Yugi, Ryou, Kaiser or Diamond next."

"Then we need to plan something. I may have lost Jou but I'm not going to sit here and let you all lose your mates and then your lives. There is only 25 days left before Hallow's Eve and we need to get rid of this beast as our top priority." Seto said and they nodded. "He's right." Yami stated before standing.

"Ruby, you and Bakura will be in charged of getting our victim ready for the feast. Seto, I want you to find a way, any way, that will be able to pull this beast from dreams and reveal it outside of them. Aqua, I'm keeping you and Crimson in charge of keeping an eye on Yugi, Diamond, Ryou and Kaiser if they happen to take any short naps." Yami ordered and they nodded.

"And what about you, Yami?" Diamond asked. "I'm going to see if Eclipse or Destiny know anything about this. They have been around ever since the witch lived here so they must know something of this beast." Yami said and she nodded as they all, excluding Seto, stood once more and left out the room to do what needed to be done.

* * *

Zypher: And that's the end of another good chapter. Looks like they will be getting a run for their money now but as always, if you want to know more, you know what to do. See you all soon.


	4. The Second Victim

Zypher: As always, thanks for your lovely reviews and here's another chapter for you. Enjoy like always.

* * *

Nightly Maelstrom

Chapter 4

* * *

The day continued as normally as it could get, the demons still in sorrow for the loss of Jou and Kozuka still freaking out with the secret he now learned about the house. Yugi and Diamond sat in his shared room, the littler demon being comforted by Diamond. "Oh, Diamond. I'm worried that even if we defeat this beast, we won't find a way to bring back Jou." Yugi whispered.

"We'll find a way, Yugi. Don't worry." Diamond said, rubbing his back lightly before standing. "All this is really taking a toll on me so I'm going to take a short nap. I'll call for Aqua or Crimson to watch over me but I really want you to feel better. Ok?" Yugi was silent for a little while before nodding.

She smiled and patted his head lightly before leaving the room. Yugi watched her go and hoped that the beast won't go after her. He was unaware the beast watched him from the shadows, a grin present on its face. _'Soon, dear Yugi. You will be mine.'_ It thought before it left the room and headed to Diamond's.

* * *

"Eclipse?"

Red eyes looked up to Yami as the wolfhound walked over to him. /"Is something wrong, Yami?"/ he asked. "Yes. A lot is wrong." Yami murmured as he sat down upon a rock. "Eclipse, do you happen to know of a beast that enters dreams and sucks away the consciousness of another?" Eyes widened as he looked to Yami. /"How do you know of this beast? I thought it was killed along with the witch?"/ he said in surprise. "So, you do know a little about it?" Yami questioned.

/"A little? I know a lot about that beast and it has been the bane of our existence for quite a while."/ He gave a sigh before he started to explain. /"Well, as you must know already if it's attacking you is that it sucks away people's consciousness and render them dead through their dreams.

/"The witch, when she was still alive, made this beast and use it as a familiar to her so if she were to ever die, the beast would be free and kill whoever has taken the house from her and used what it gained to be resurrected.

/"She also casted the spell to prevent those who did take the house from leaving. It the house was taken by those who only wanted power were shifted into demons, such as how you and your friends were and she believed that those that hunger for power would never find love so she made that as the way to break the curse of the house but not how to get rid of the beast."/ He explained.

"So, you don't know if there's a way to destroy it, do you?" he spoke, the hope once gripping his heart now disappearing. /"There is a way but you must believe that it will work. I'm sure that one of you mentioned about the Black and White Magics, right?"/ Yami nodded. "Yes, Seto told us about them but we didn't believe it would work since we are all demons and none of us could hold the power of the White Magics." Yami said.

/"And that's where you're wrong. You can wield both the Black and White Magics. All you need to do is give the Black Magics to one that has hunger for power, which is one of you and the White Magics who has gave salvation, which is one of your mates. Ask Destiny and she may help you out more than I can."/ Eclipse said and Yami nodded as he stood.

"Thanks for your help." Yami said before he started to head back to the house.

* * *

With Crimson watching over her, Diamond was asleep but that didn't hinder the beast's attack. _'I just have to get rid of the fool.'_ It thought. The beast thought of a plan and once it came up with one, it smirked darkly as it left out the room.

Crimson heard a large crash and he kept alert to see if anyone else heard it. No one came ad he sighed. _'I really don't want to be the one seeing what this is and leaving my mate all alone but I can't let any of our guests learn any more than they need to other than the kid.'_ Crimson thought.

He looked back to Diamond. "I'll be back soon. Sooner than possible hopefully." he whispered. Before leaving out the room and looked around before heading to Aqua's room to call for him to watch over Diamond. The beast smirked as he left Diamond unattended and quickly slipped into the room and into her dreams, locking the door so he couldn't get back inside before the deed is done.

* * *

"Where is that stupid ball of scales!" he hissed as he looked for Aqua, seeing that he wasn't in his room. He came across Ruby and told him to watch over Diamond but soon felt that something was wrong.

"What is it, Crimson?" Ruby asked. Crimson looked to him. "Ruby, you look for whatever I heard, it was somewhere in the hall. I need to get back to Diamond." he said before disappearing through the shadows in a hurry.

Ruby watched him before he too left through the shadows.

* * *

A scream was heard and Crimson jumped out from the shadows and headed towards the door, trying to open it. "Ra, that damn beast locked me out of my own room!" Crimson hissed be he started slamming into the door.

"This." _Slam._ "Is what I." _Slam._ "Get for." _Slam._ "Keeping the damn lights on in my room!" _Slam!_ The door finally opened but it was too late as the beast left, Diamond's prone form left on the bed. Ears folding down in sadness, he walked over to the bedside and took her hand in his.

"I failed you, Diamond. I can't believe I was foolish enough to leave you while you were vulnerable." he whispered, taking his hand away and clenching it tight. "That thing will pay!" he roared.

* * *

His roar was heard by Ruby who was still trying to look for whatever caught Crimson's attention and ran back to his room. he looked inside and saw the tears coursing down his face. "What happened?" he asked as he walked inside.

"I was a fool! A fool for falling for this beast's trick! He must've made a distraction that only I could hear so I would be lured out of the room, thinking that one of those people we have for our feast other than the skull faced kid was looking for something that would lead them to know what we are! Now she's gone and its all my fault!" Crimson cried, collapsing to his knees. Ruby walked over to him and knelt down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll deal with this beast soon enough. I'm sorry for your loss but even if that beast wasn't here, you did the right thing by leaving out and checking to make sure none of those boys finds anything that will lead to them finding out we're demons." Ruby said.

Crimson stayed silent and Ruby patted his shoulder before standing. "I know what'll make you feel better. Why don't I fix your favorite meal?" he said and was about to leave out the room. "No. Please, let me have Diamond's favorite." he whispered.

Ruby nodded and left the room to do as he asked.

* * *

After lunch, they all gathered in the library, one, to hear of Yami's news and two, to learn about the next death in their kin. Crimson was silent most of the time but once Kaiser asked about where Diamond was, he told them with a whisper in his voice of what happened. Again, sorrow filled the room with the news of another death then Yami looked back up with determination. "We have to defeat this beast here and now." Yami spoke. "But how?" Kaiser questioned. "I talked with Destiny and Eclipse today and they said we can use the Black and White Magics."

"And how are we supposed to do that? None of us are pure if you so forgotten, Yami." Bakura hissed. "We don't have to be pure. Eclipse told me that the Black and White Magics don't have to be given to one of darkness and one of pure, but to one that has hungered for power, which could be any of us, and one that has given salvation, which is Yugi, Ryou or Kaiser.

"We have to get this done fast before we lose another person." Yami said before looking to Seto. "Seto, look up the ritual to gain the Black and White Magics. Crimson, I want you to find a spell that will bring out any disturbances from dreams outside of them." They nodded and started getting to work.

"And what of the rest of us?" Ruby questioned. "We will start making plans for the feast. Even with this matter at hand, we can't forget our feast. from now one, until Seto finds the ritual, the remaining mates will stay by our side to prevent the beast from coming after them. Bakura," he spoke, looking over to him. "Keep a closer eye on Ryou. since he's still weak from his last attacks, I'm sure of it the beast will come after him next before trying to aim for Kaiser or Yugi." Bakura nodded, his grip around Ryou tightening.

Yugi gently wrung his hands and Aqua rubbed his shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll keep you safe and bring back your friends, koi." Yugi nodded but was still tempted to tell them of the dream that he had last night. _'If things happen like it did in the dream, I will have to give myself up to the beast until Seto can find the ritual for the Black and White Magics.'_ he thought before walking out with Aqua and Yami, Ruby, Bakura, Kaiser and Ryou following behind them. Not far, the beast was once again contemplating a plan, this time to reach Ryou once more.

_'They think they can hold back but I will get what I want and deal with them all before they can even touch the Black and White Magics.'_ The beast left to hide away in the shadows, waiting for the time to strike once again.

* * *

While they were dealing with this matter, Keith was snooping around the house for any clues. Behind him, Takaido and Kozuka followed. Kozuka was shaking like a leaf once more, worried that somehow, Keith would find something that would reveal their hosts as demons.

_'And instead of sitting here, I need to stop him.'_ he thought before voicing out his opinion. "Um, boss. I think that nothing here would reveal anything about why people disappeared in the forest. Yami and the others are very kind and I think they wouldn't have nothing to do with it." he said.

"And how would you know that? They could be nice but are actually some sort of serial killers. I'm gonna find something and get rich off of it." Keith spoke, video camera held in one hand as he looked through doors upon doors but has yet to find something. "There has to be something here." he whispered.

"Come on, boss. I'm sure they wouldn't be hiding anything like dead bodies around." Kozuka spoke as he opened a random door and came across a room filled with bodies near piled to the top. They were dead, some having organs missing and other drained of blood. Even with the victims dead, they weren't decayed or giving off the smell of death.

Kozuka screamed in terror and slammed the door, catching Keith's attention. "You find something, squirt?" he asked as he walked over and reached for the doorknob. Kozuka held him back though. "No, there was nothing. The house cat just scared me by jumping out of nowhere and the room was dark." Kozuka lied.

Keith looked to him suspiciously before nodding and continued on. Kozuka ave a sigh and left the door, glad he was able to prevent him from finding that out. _'This will be hard. If I find something he doesn't see and I lie about it each time, sooner or later he's going to doubt I'm telling the truth and probably find out they're demons in someway and then I might get myself killed because that black sphinx would think it was me that told them.'_ Kozuka thought with a shudder as he followed behind them once again.

* * *

Zypher: And another end to another chapter. The beast is still on a rampage but they're starting to retaliate. Hoped you all enjoyed and for those that think I'm going to leave Jou and Diamond dead, and Ryou for that matter since sadly, he's next on the list, I'm not. Remember, the beast has their life within it and until they defeat it, it will continue to hold their life like a collector until it sees fit the right time to use it for whatever purpose it wants it to.

I repeat, I will not let any of my favorite characters die (this is the longest I would leave them in a dead state compared to any other story where they would be back within the next chapter at the most), they will be back and the only ones to die for good will be Keith, Sakate and Taikaido. Anyways, see you all real soon.


	5. Back to Finish the Job

Zypher: Hello all and welcome to another chapter of Nightly Maelstrom. Glad you all loved the last chapter so here's the next one for you. Also, these chapters may start to get increasingly shorter but since I only have three days left to finish, they'll be at least over 1900 words. -blanches- That or at least over 1500 words

* * *

Nightly Maelstrom

Chapter 5

* * *

As told, Seto and Crimson continued to find the spells they needed, even going through dinner just to find them. Yugi walked in, holding a tray with the dinner and looked over to them. "How's the search going?" he asked quietly as he walked over to the table where a pile of books sat.

"Not good. I haven't found a thing about pulling anything from dreams." Crimson whispered as he shut the book he just got done skimming through and took another. "Same here. I know there has to be a ritual if one of the books talked about the Black and White Magics." Seto stated. Yugi nodded and placed the tray onto an empty spot on the table.

"I'm sure you'll find something soon. Don't give up just yet." he said and they nodded, getting back to work while taking tentative bites of their food. Yugi watched them silently before leaving out the room and heading back to his own.

* * *

In Keith's room, he, Sakate, Taikado and Kozuka were discussing plans of finding any secrets that their hosts might be hiding. Compared to before, Keith, Sakate and Takaido were gaining much for weight than before and only Kozuka knew of the reason. His sub-conscious was telling him that he should tell them what was going on and get them out but his wits was telling to just avoid conflict and keep the secret.

"There has to be something here. I can only bet throughout this entire forest, they're the only people who are risking themselves to live here in this forest. They have to be keeping something a secret here and we need to find it." Keith said.

"But where exactly are we going to find something. If they did had a secret, they probably keep it locked tight." Takaido spoke. "Well, we're going to find it one way or another. We got this far and I'm not leaving out here empty handed." Keith said with finality.

"You wouldn't be leaving at all if you knew what was in store for you all." Kozuka murmured and Sakate turned to him. "Say something, Kozuka?" he questioned. He looked up quickly and shook his head. "Oh no! It was nothing." he said, shaking his hands in defense before standing up and leaving out the room.

They watched him go before Takaido snorted. "Wonder what's up with him?"

* * *

Yugi sat on the bed, curled up in Aqua's arms but even with the comfort of the other, his thoughts were still restless. Aqua ran a hand through his hair before looking down to him. "Yugi, are you alright? I know loosing your friends is a devastating thing but we are doing everything we can to get them back." Aqua whispered.

"I know Aqua, but it something else that is occupying my mind right now." Yugi said. "Do you want to tell me about it?" he questioned. Yugi shook his head. "No. At least not yet. I just hope when I do, it won't be too late." Aqua nodded, seeing that whatever it may be may possibly bring an unwanted reaction and respected his wishes not to tell.

"Well, I'll be here and so will Yami. Whenever you're ready to tell us about this, we'll be there for you." Aqua said and Ygui smiled, looking up to him and placing a kiss on the underside of his jaw. "Thank you, Aqua." Yugi whispered. "Anything for you." he replied before letting him lay down in the bed. "Now rest your soul. I'm always right here beside you." Yugi gave a yawn, nodding sleepily before he soon fell asleep.

* * *

In Bakura's room, Ryou was trying to fend off sleep for another night but Bakura wasn't going to have it. "Ryou, I know that you don't want to sleep in fear of that beast coming to finish the job but you need it. I can't bear to see you try to go through another sleepless night." Bakura murmured.

Ryou looked to him before nodding. "I just hope I won't be the next victim." Ryou whispered as he lied down. Bakura draped the sheets over him and stroked his cheek. "You won't. Not as long as I'm here." Ryou nodded.

"Goodnight then." Ryou said before falling asleep as quickly as he finished the sentence. Bakura watched him fall asleep before staying close, keeping himself alert for any sign of the beast.

* * *

Kozuka continued to walk through the dark hallways, many thoughts running through his mind. So many that he didn't look ahead of him and jumped when he heard a quiet mewl. He looked down and saw Destiny sitting there before him. "Oh, it's only you." he said as he knelt down and Destiny walked over, rubbing against his leg with a purr.

"Man, I don't know what to do and I rather talk to you than with that sphinx again." he said as he stroked Destiny's head, getting another purr from her. "What should I do. My friends are so persistent with trying to find about about this secret and I can only do so much to prevent them from finding out about our hosts being demons. If they find out, the demons will blame me and then I'll get killed." he said before sighing.

/"But you're doing a good job of it."/ Destiny spoke. Kozuka looked around, trying to find who spoke before looking down to Destiny. "D-Did you just speak? Or am I hallucinating?" Kozuka whispered. /"You're not hallucinating. I can talk just like you. I normally don't do so when my masters have guests but since you'll soon become part of the family, I can show you that I can."/ Destiny said.

Kozuka still looked to her with surprise and a little fear but nodded and stood, holding her in his arms. "Well, now that I know you talk, what should I do to keep them from learning anything about the house? I don't know how long I can keep it up and if I continue to lie, they will surely doubt me for what I say."

/"Do your best. I will help as much as I can since the other are dealing with matters of their own."/ Destiny said before hopping out his arms. /"Now you best get back to bed."/ she said before leaving into the darkness of the halls. Kozuka watched her go before sighing, going with what she told him and left to head back to his room. "Lets just hope I can keep the demons' secret safe." he muttered.

* * *

"Finally!" Crimson exclaimed and Seto looked to him. "Did you find it?" he questioned. "Yes! I found a way to pull that horrid thing from people's dreams." he said happily, ready to reclaim Diamond's life back in anyway possible. "Then go and tell Yami what you found." Seto said and Crimson nodded as he jumped up, book in hand.

While Crimson was makign his way, the beast was making its move. _'Whether or not he's here, the boy's life is mine.'_ It thought as he slipped into Ryou's dreams. Bakura became more alert as he felt another power and looked around before feeling Ryou shift, shivering in fear. "No. It got to him." he whispered before he started working with his power to try and fend the beast from taking what's left of Ryou's life.

Crimson walked by Bakura's room but feeling the other's power at work, he feared the worse and went inside. "Is the beast inside Ryou's dreams?" Crimson questioned. Bakura nodded, more attentive at trying to get the beast out. "Good. I finally found the spell that can pull it from dreams and make it have a solid form." he said as he turned to the page that had the spell and started chanting.

Within the dream, the beast roared in anger as it felt itself being pulled away. Ryou looked up, what little life he had remaining still giving him enough to move back from the beast. The beast turned to him with a snarl and leapt at him.

/Don't think that you will get away with just a little life!/ It hissed as the tendril slipped from it's mouth and sucked the rest of his life away before it was pulled from his dreams. Crimson jumped back as the beast appeared on the room, landing on it feet and snarling as it looked to them.

Bakura looked down to Ryou and shook him slightly. "Ryou? Ryou!" he called and the beast laughed. /He's dead. And soon, you will be next once I get the life of my last human-turned-demon victim./ it hissed before disappearing through the shadows just as Bakura lunged for him, anger fueling his every move.

"I will kill you! You hear me! When I find you again, you're dead!" Bakura shouted before collapsing to his knees. Crimson closed the book and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. For everything that beast put us through, it will pay back twice as much." he spoke and Bakura nodded.

"At least the good thing is, it can't get away as easily since he has a form. But I wonder, it said it was going after the last human-turned-demon. Only Yugi and Kaiser are left before it aims for us so why isn't it aiming for them both?" Bakura questioned silently as he stood.

"You don't think it has another plan other than to kill us, do you?" Crimson asked. "I don't know but for the sake of Ryou, Diamond and Jou, we have to find out before it's too late." Bakura said before they left out the room, heading over to Yami's to see if he was there.

* * *

Zypher: And that's it for this one and the next shall be up hopefully later on today. Hoped you enjoyed and I'll see you soon.


	6. The Claim of the Innocent

Zypher: And here we are with the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews last chapter. Relax and enjoy.

* * *

Nightly Maelstrom

Chapter 6

* * *

The next day, after learning what happened to Ryou which brought much sorrow to the last two remaining friends, they were happy to know that the beast was now revealed to them and have much more of a chance to prevent it from stealing more lives. "Alright. Since the beast is now revealed and somewhere within the house, we can prevent it from claiming more lives." Yami spoke before looking to Seto.

"Did you find anything about the ritual for the Black and White Magics?" he asked. "Not yet but I have came upon something that may lead me to the book that contains the ritual and after breakfast, I will get back to my studies." Seto said and he nodded.

"Ok. While Seto is doing that, we will continue to prepare for the feast." He then looked over to Kaiser and Yugi. "And you two will make sure you have at least one person near you. We don't know what other abilities this beast has now that its solid so be wary of everything around you." They nodded and soon left out the room, Kaiser walking with Ruby and Aqua taking Yugi downstairs to start on breakfast.

* * *

In the attic, in a hidden part of it the none of the them knew of, the beast stayed. It was trying to think of whether it should attack Kaiser or just leave him alone and go for the prize in mind._ 'If I go for Yugi, maybe I can leave those demons alone for the moment and only kill them if they try to come after me to reclaim Yugi.' _Then it grinned. _'Yes, I'll do that.'_ With that plan in mind, it slunk out of its hidden location, moving through the shadows to claim its prize.

Back downstairs, everyone was eating breakfast, Kozuka noticing that it seemed that the number of hosts they had were getting increasingly lower and he would ask why but didn't want to get himself in more trouble than its worth. Yugi sat there, picking at his food as the dream that came to him.

_'Diamond, Ryou and Jou are gone. Just like in that dream. And if my dream is accurate, the beast will be coming for me instead of Kaiser.'_ he thought then sighed, knowing that if what was to happen will happen, possibly soon enough, then he needed to tell Yami and Aqua.

After breakfast, everyone went about with their own business, Yugi walking with Yami up to their room. "Yami. I have something to tell you. Something very important." Yugi whispered. "What is it?" he asked, looked down to him as they stopped mere feet from their room.

"Yami, I think that sometime, possibly today, I will be taken away by the beast." Yugi spoke and Yami gasped. "Not on my life will he take yours." he hissed. "No, not like that. I mean that it wants me for a mate." he said. Yami growled even more at that thought before looking down to him with concern.

"How did you know this may happen?"

Yugi sighed lightly and took Yami's hand, taking him towards the room. Once they were inside, they sat down on the bed and Yugi started to explain about the dream he had and Yami thought about this. "I hate to believe it but you may be right and by all means I will prevent this. I'm not going to lose you to some beast that has taken the lives of our family." Yami said. "But you have to if it does happen. Giving myself up may be the only way to prevent the beast from killing any more of you." Yugi stated.

Yami sighed, lowering his head. "You're right. It just...I don't want to let you go without a fight." Yugi moved to sit on his lap and placed a hand on his cheek. "I know but with Seto not giving up on finding the ritual, I'm sure you will find it, claim the Black and White Magics and get me free from the beast and destroy him." Yugi said.

But as soon as he said that, the beast appeared on the room, causing them both to jump but Yami quickly went on the defensive, placing Yugi behind his back and sending a signal to the others.

"So, I'm guessing you came for him." Yami hissed, eyes a blood red as he glared at the beast. The beast smirked, revealing the sharp teeth filled with the deadly green liquid. /Why yes. How did you know that so soon?/ It questioned mockingly.

"That's for me to know and for you to never find out but I'll tell you this. We will regain the lives you took unless you're willing to give them back to prevent yourself from getting killed." he hissed once more.

/Pah! Like I would give those lives back so easily!/ The beast laughed and soon, Seto, Crimson, Ruby, Aqua, Kaiser, and Bakura arrived in the room. Seto, Bakura and Crimson growled as they saw the beast standing there. "What do you want?" Bakura growled.

/Why, Yugi's hand to become my mate. If I get that, I will leave you all alone./ It spoke. "No way that going to happen. We may have lost our lovers to you and Kaiser have not yet been exposed to your fiendish ways, there is no way we're going to let you take Yugi to be your mate." Crimson said, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah. You don't deserve to have someone to be with after what you cause in the last few days." Bakura added. /Oh? And you all think you deserve the same? You killed the witch just for power and look what you have become. You were alone for so long and when they come, you take them in as your mates, not even knowing the consequences of the human city of Domino.

The beast now started to circle around then, tail flicking side to side while a hidden yet taunting gleam shone in its eyes. /What about their family? Their friends? They must be worried sick and yet here you are, with the love of your life, not giving a care about people outside the forest except for who will be the next foolish victim to fall prey for your false hospitality. It makes me sick and jealous that you're able to find love./ The beast spoke.

/That why I kill. Not only to get revenge for killing the witch but to also make you all feel the pain I felt for being without a mate./ It hissed. Bakura and Crimson continued to argue with the beast, knowing that it was probably futile to fuss with the impatient beast. Yugi halted their banter and stepped forward.

"Yugi, where are you going? You aren't really going to become that beast's mate, are you?" Kaiser questioned. "I have to. It means that you guys will be safe and also have more time to find the ritual for the Black and White Magics without the beast trying to ruin those chances. I promise you that I'll be safe and protect myself if something we're to happen." Yugi said.

Yami nodded, a few tears welling up but knew that after what Yugi told him, knew that in order for them to find the ritual without fail, he will have to go. "Just, be careful. You are stronger than before, my love. If that beast," He gave a glare to the beast who snorted. "hurts you in anyway, you defend yourself to the best of your abilities. Run away if need be." Yami said and Yugi nodded. He turned back to the beast and nodded and without warning, the beast leapt at him, grabbing him by the back of his shirt then dashed away into the shadows.

"Goodbye for now, Yami and Aqua." Was his last whispered words before he was gone.

* * *

The beast reappeared back in the hidden spot in the attic and placed Yugi upon a bed before walking off a ways. /I shall tell you now, my dear mate. Your friends will never find the ritual./ it spoke before chuckling. "And how do you know that?" Yugi sneered as he looked to the beast who was pulling out a book.

/Because, with every book in the library, they will never find the right one because the one that contains the ritual is here with me. They can look high and low but the book is to never be found./ He laughed and Yugi gasped.

_'It planned this all along. It must've knew the only way it can be destroyed is by the Black and White Magics and must've used whatever spare time it had to grab the book before we knew of it.'_ Yugi thought then sighed.

_'Now, it has everything it could want. Me and the only way to keep it from being destroyed.'_ He then looked up determinedly as the beast placed the book back where it was and made a note of the location. "And it's up to me to get the book back to the others. And I think I know of a way."

* * *

Zypher: And that all for this chapter. Hoped you enjoyed and don't worry, Yugi will be saved soon enough. Only two days left and I'll make the final chapter the best it can get, along with the big fight between the beast and the demons. Since I may end this in two chapters, be on the lookout for another tomorrow. See you soon.


	7. The Vanquishing of the Beast

Zypher: And here's the second to last chapter. Happy you all enjoyed the last chapter so here's another for you all.

* * *

Nightly Maelstrom

Chapter 7

* * *

Days went by and Halloween was getting closer and closer. Yami and the others continued with getting Keith, Sakate and Takaido ready for the feast, them still blindly unaware that they will soon become a meal. They haven't saw hide nor hair of the beast or Yugi and both Yami and Aqua started to worry that something bad may have happened.

"I'm sure that Yugi protected himself from anything that beast would try. Don't worry yourselves about it." Ruby said as they all started making their way to the library to see if Seto has found anything.

Once they were inside, they saw Seto sitting at the table, books cluttered around him and face in his hands. "Did you find anything, Seto?" Aqua asked. "No. I have looked at every book here and there wasn't one that matched to the title of the book that contained the ritual. It's not here and by all means, I can only make a guess that the beast thought ahead and has the book and it probably already hid it somewhere where we can't find it." Seto said. Bakura cursed angrily, clenching his fists and claws dug into his palms, causing them to bleed.

"But we may have a chance. If the beast has the book, then surely Yugi will be able to find it and can send it to us somehow." Aqua spoke and they nodded.

* * *

When the beast left to do whatever it does in it spare time when not tormenting them, Yugi stood and walked over to the location where the beast placed the book and picked it up. _'That beast must be pretty naive to leave the book somewhere where I can get to it.'_ Yugi thought as he opened the book and looked through the pages before finding the ritual for the Black and White Magics. "Ah, here it is. And it's very simple." he said quietly to himself as he started looking over the magic that will grant someone the White Magics.

"To grant one of salvation the White Magics, recite this chant in a beacon of pure light." he read them looked around. "Well, I already know there's no window so what else could I use?" he wondered, looking around before he started to rummage through the things that was held in the room.

He came upon something peculiar and pulled it out. It was an orb that was about the size of a small ball and it was colored a pearl white. On it was the kanji for light and Yugi smiled. "This has to be something I can use. No doubt about it." he said as he looked for a small stand to place the orb on and once it was sitting there, it started to glow brightly, engulfing the room with the pure light held within.

"Great. Now I just need to read this chant." he said, picking up the book once more and started to quietly read the chant.

* * *

Back downstairs, Destiny felt the power of the White Magics at work and looked around. _'I know that's the White Magics but who could be using them? The others already said they couldn't find the book...wait...Yugi!'_ she thought the dashed away into the shadows, following the trace of the magics until she reached the attic and that was about as far as she could go. /"Yugi! Yugi! Where are you?"/ she called, yowling as well.

Back on the room he was trapped in Yugi looked up just as the last of the White Magics bound with him. "Destiny?" he whispered then walked over to the wall. "Destiny? Destiny, I'm in here!" he called back, banging his fists on the wall. She heard him and ran over to said wall but hissed, backing away.

_'The beast has magic. I can't get to him and if I can't get to him, that means he can't get out. I have to reach him somehow.'_ She heard him call for her again and responded. /"Yugi! I'm right here but I can't reach you! There's a magic that blocking the way and I'm guessing the beast placed up the barrier to prevent us from reaching or finding you through the shadows!"/ she said, unaware who was coming up behind her.

"This is bad. Destiny! You must find a way in here! I have the book that contains the ritual for the Black and White Magics! I'm infused with the White Magics now but we need to get this to Yami and the others!" he said and she nodded but gasped as she was grabbed around her neck, hissing as the green liquid of the beast's fangs burned her skin.

/I could crack your neck here and now but that would make my mate sad but what he doesn't know won't hurt him./ The beast said, chuckling as it started closing its mouth tighter around her neck. /"No! Yugi...help me! Please! There has to be...a...way."/ She fell limp, unable to fight back or change into her other form and the beast tossed her body across the attic.

Inside, Yugi heard the beast's voice and feared the worse. "Destiny? Destiny!" he cried. "No, the beast couldn't have." he whispered then started to cry. He was unaware his palms glowing with the light of the White Magics and soon, the beast's spell was nullified and he fell through the shadows of the wall, the room being darkened once more after the work of the orb.

Once he was in the attic, he looked around and saw that the beast was gone. _'Probably looking for me.'_ he thought before spotting the black form of Destiny and ran over to her, the book placed under his arm. "No." he whispered, seeing the burn marks upon Destiny's neck.

"It killed her. That evil beast killed her." he cried, placing a hand over her and then soon, the White Magics started to work their magic and she was slowly being brought back to life, her wounds healing. Yugi removed his hand, looking to the white glow that surrounded his hand then back to Destiny who gave a faint purr.

"Destiny!" he called as she opened gold eyes and looked up to him. /"Yugi...you're free."/ She then looked down to herself. /"And I'm alive again."/ She looked back up to him, standing up weakly. /"Come, we must go and give the book to the others."/ she said but they were halted by the beast once more.

/Surprising you got out, my dear mate, but I'm not letting you leave here with the book./ The beast spoke. Destiny shifted into her other form and Yugi handed the book to her. "Go and give that to Yami. I'll hold the beast off." Yugi said. /"But now that you're free, you should come back."/ Destiny said.

"I know but until one of them has the Black Magics, I need to continue to stay as its mate until we defeat it for good." The beast laughed mockingly. /Oh really? I can tend to be a crafty enemy and even with the Black and White Magics, I won't be defeated so easily./ It spoke.

/But for now, I'll be taking the book back!/ it roared and lunged for Destiny but yelped as he was knocked away by a beam of light. "Go now, Destiny!" Yugi cried and Destiny looked to him once more before leaving through the shadows, saddened she have to leave him in the clutches of the beast still but was happy they have the book in their possession now.

* * *

She soon arrived in the library where everyone was still gathered and looked over to her. "Where did you go, Destiny?" Yami questioned. She walked over and placed the book on the table before looking to him. /"I found Yugi."/ she spoke and like a bullet, he leapt from his seat, his full attention on her.

"Where? Where did you find him?" he asked. /"He's in a place in the attic. But its highly protected and we can't reach it so easily through the shadows. One of you need to gain the Black Magics and help him. After what he did, I won't bet much that the beast won't think of killing him."/ Destiny spoke.

Yami picked up the book, a determined look in his eyes. "Then its time. That beast will be defeated once and for all and we will all make sure it pays for the torment it brought us." Yami said and they nodded as Yami opened the aged book to the page that held the ritual for the Black Magics.

* * *

Yugi hit the wall and winced as he looked up with pained eyes to the beast as it stalked closer to him. /You have been a bad mate. Giving the book back to those demons. I won't be defeated so easily and I'm not losing you./ It hissed and Yugi stood, hands glowing as he was ready to send another beam towards the beast but yelped as he was pinned to the wall. /I won't let you attack me so easily, mate. I will make you pay for not only disobeying me but giving the only secret that I have kept hidden for so long back to the demons./

Yugi struggled in the beast's grip, hoping that someone would come before the worse can happen.

* * *

Back downstairs, Yami was infused with the Black Magics and with a deadly gleam in his eyes, he along with the others appeared into the attic through the shadows and tried to locate Yugi. A scream was heard and Yami turned his head to the sound.

"Yugi!" he called and from the room, Yugi heard his voice. "Yami! Follow my voice! I'm in here and so is the beast!" Yugi called again and listening closely, he came towards the part of the wall that hid the room and hissed as the magic that Destiny felt before was there, only thrice-fold.

The Black Magics reacted to the pain that the one holding the White Magics and with a force that shocked the others slightly and caused the beast to turn its head, growling, the Black Magics decimated the wall between them and Yami growled angrily.

Yugi smiled, glad that they were able to come and while they beast was distracted, he kicked his feet out, sending the beast to the floor and ran back into the arms of his true lover. Yami wrapped his arms around him, glad to have him back in his arms before glaring at the beast who was slowly getting back on its feet.

/I had enough. I have spared your lives for the hand of Yugi but he goes against me. You all don't deserve love and I'll make sure you all die!/ The beast roared as it lunged for them. "Not on my watch. Now that you have a physical form, I'm going to beat you down for killing my mate." Crimson hissed as he lunged at the beast, both hitting the ground and getting into a harsh tussle, biting, scratching and clawing ensued.

The beast yelped as he was tossed away, hitting the wall and snarled angrily as he lunged for the nearest person, that being Kaiser. Kaiser tried to protect himself and if the attack connected, he would've been hurt but Ruby stopped the beast, roaring angrily as he tossed the beast towards Seto and he grabbed hold of him, slamming him into the ground.

Seto was ready to make an attack along with Bakura but the beast hissed, slamming its tail into Seto's side before clawing at Bakura chest, causing im to howl in pain. "Time for this to end." Yami hissed, calling up the Black Magics and sent a bolt of the magics towards the beast but it leapt out the way before jumping towards him. But he didn't get far as Aqua tackled it, hitting him against the wall before backing away. Again, Yami tried to attack the beast using the magics but it only dodged again.

The battle continued on with the same results. The others got in their hits but when it came to Yami trying to attack using the Black Magics, the beast seems to dodge them. "We need to keep it still somehow. But how is the problem." Crimson said, wiping a spot of blood from his jaw. Yugi mulled over some ideas before coming up with one.

"Let's try backing it into a corner. As long as it doesn't have a place to escape, Yami can kill it." Yugi said and they thought it over before agreeing. Enacting the plan, Seto and Crimson charged in, tackling the beast into a nearby corner before standing off to the side. It hissed in anger before looking towards Yami who already sent the bolt towards it.

/_**No!**_/ It screamed as the bolt hit its target, the beast itself unable to jump off to the side or above, Aqua blocking its path if it tried to do so. The beast cried out again as the Black Magics affected it, its body turning to stone. Once it was completely encased in stone, they sighed with relief, glad that the problem was finally dealt with. "Finally, the beast has been vanquished." Yami whispered.

"But what about the lives it took? What are we going to do about that?" Bakura questioned. "I remember in one of the books explaining about the Black and White Magics said that White Magics are able to bring back the dead. We may need to figure out a way to get their souls back from the beast but right now, we need to get Ryou, Jou and Diamond." Seto said and both Bakura and Crimson nodded as they left to get them while Seto went to retrieve Jou's body.

"Let's pray that we can bring them back. Who know what may happen if I do this wrong." Yugi whispered and Aqua wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close. "I'm sure you will be able to bring them back, Yugi. If it wasn't for you, they would still be dead, the beast would still be alive and we would still be without you by our side." Aqua spoke and Yugi smiled up to him.

* * *

With Kozuka, he was again, trying to prevent Keith and the other from finding anything. He heard the faint parts of the battle in the attic but didn't bother to go and check it out for himself since he had more things to worry about. _'I hope they're alright, though.'_ he thought before following Keith once more, making sure he didn't come across anything that would lead to something revealing the demons for who they are.

* * *

Seto, Bakura and Crimson soon arrived back in the attic with their lovers in their arms and lied the down on the floor. "Now, how are we supposed to get their lives back from the beast?" Aqua questioned. As if to answer his question, the body of the beast started to crack apart before falling into pieces, releasing the souls of Ryou, Diamond and Jou which each glowed with a different ethereal light. "That answers that question. Now Yugi, the White Magics should be able to do the work for you, you just need to place the souls back into place." Seto said and he nodded.

He left Aqua's arms and walked over to the glowing white soul that was Ryou and took hold of it gently, walking over to Ryou's body and placed the soul over him. As Seto told him, strands of the White Magics started working on giving Ryou his life once more and after a few more seconds, Ryou's eyes fluttered open and Bakura smiled, running over to him and crouching down beside him, wrapping his arms around him. "Ryou, I'm so happy to have you back!" he said. Ryou smiled and wrapped his arms around him. "I'm glad to be back." he said.

Yugi did the same for Diamond and Jou and once they were reunited with their lovers again, they all left the attic, placing a lock of magic over it so no one would ever enter it again. "And with only a few days left, it's time to continue with the preparation for the feast." Yami said.

"And what about the Black and White Magics?" Yugi asked. "We shall keep them. If another danger comes to pass, we may need them again. But for now, we can be at ease once more now that the beast is gone forever and will not torment us ever again." Yami said and he nodded, smiling up to him.

* * *

Zypher: Ok, there's the next chapter for you all and the very short epilogue is next. I think the battle started to suck after a while but I didn't have much time to write it as properly as I wanted to since I went out to take my nephew trick or treating so that took a good chunk of my time but I hoped you enjoyed either way. soon you very soon.


	8. Epilogue

Zypher: And here's the end of Nightly Maelstrom. Thanks for loving the story so much and I hope you'll enjoy the epilogue.

* * *

Nightly Maelstrom

Epilogue

* * *

Days went by and soon, it was Halloween. As done without fail, the demons continued to prepare Keith, Sakate and Takaido for their feast. Outside, Kozuka sat, watching the afternoon sun descending lower into the sky, bringing the night that crept along the sky like a inky black shadow. Unnoticed to him, Crimson came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and looked back to him.

"Oh. Hello, Crimson. What brings you out here?" he asked fear still lacing his voice for fear that he would still be killed in some way. "Just wanted to see you again and also tell you that tonight will be your entrance into our family. In order for you to stay, you must become a demon. I'll be willing to teach you the ropes as long as you plan to follow the rules." Crimson said and he nodded.

Again, Keith, who was as fat as a cow, started making his last ever round around the house, trying to find a clue of some sort when he spotted Crimson and Kozuka outside. He couldn't hear what they were talking about but things started to look suspicious. His thoughts were confirmed as he saw Crimson leaned down, biting in Kozuka's neck and his eyes widened.

_'So that little punk was hiding things from us! He knew they were monsters and prevented us from learning that. Well, at least I'll get some footage of this. Who cares if he dies.'_ he thought as he brought up the camera and started recording the scene and once Crimson removed his fangs from Kozuka's neck did he ended the recording and dashed as fast as he could to find Sakate and Takaido.

* * *

"You found what?" Sakate questioned with shock.

"You saw Kozuka being fed on by a demon? How come we never saw this before?" Takaido spoke with a little urgency. "They must've been hiding their true form for us and possibly had Kozuka working with them to prevent us from finding anything leading to us finding out they were demons." Keith said as he replayed the video and they gasped, seeing proof right there.

"Now that we have the proof, lets get out of here and show this to some hotshot tv company so we can get rich off of finding the mystery of the forest." Keith said and they nodded as they left the room and out of the house.

But they should know they wouldn't get far with the things that lurked around in the forest. Especially since Lumina spotted them leaving and quickly ran into the forest ahead of them to find her father.

* * *

/"So, they're trying to escape, hm?"/ Lumina nodded and Eclispe tsked in disappointment. /"They should know that it's impossible to leave once you stayed. And they will learn this the hard way."/ he said before looking back to her.

/"Go back to the house and tell Destiny of this. She will tell Yami and the others and they'll make sure this won't happen again."/ Lumina nodded before running back off and once she was gone, he howled a melodious tune that called the Pitch Black Warwolves to his side and they started on their search for the missing victims.

Night descended quickly and the three victims still trailed through the forest with no sense of where they were going. "We're going to get lost in here, Keith. We should just give up now." Takaido said. "And lose the chance of a lifetime? Not on my watch. We will get out of here and show the entire town the true reason why people have been disappearing into the forest." Keith said with determination. Soon, they heard howls around them and they looked around to see glowing red eyes watching them.

"Maybe we should run." Sakate suggested and with a nod, they three started to dash off as fast as they could, the warwolves following behind them and easily catching up. Takaido was the first to be caught and with a yell, he was dragged off back to the house. Next was Sakate and seeing that they were both caught, tried to take on a burst of speed to find a way out from the forest before he could get caught.

He tripped over a root and fell to the forest floor but quickly got back up, never noticing he dropped the video recorder until he realize his hands were empty. He looked back to see the silver casing around it and tried to grab it. A large paw came into his line of view, crushing it and he looked into the red eyes of another warwolf.

Eclipse walked up beside the other and grinned, showing rows of sharp fangs. /"You should learn now, when you stay with us, you will never leave with your life."/ he spoke with a chuckle before he walked in the direction of the house once more, the warwolf following him with Keith in its grip.

* * *

As the night went on, the party that was held every Halloween commenced, Kozuka, who was now a demon, enjoying himself more than ever since he learned of the demons' secret. In the kitchen, the agonizing screams of the three victims were heard as they were sliced, cut-up and diced for the meal that was being prepared by Ruby, blood dripping onto the floors of the kitchen. Half breathed-out pleas were heard from the victims but Ruby didn't pay much mind to them, only continued to prepare before it struck midnight.

As it struck the desired time, they all gathered in the dining room, the feast now set up upon the table and they all looked to it with hunger. On the table said a full rack of ribs and various spicy platters made from Sakate's flesh, another set of dishes, only much more sweeter from Takaido and last but not least, the fully baked form of Keith as the centerpiece. After seeing the meal set out for them, Kozuka was very glad he wasn't part of it and the feast commenced.

As Kozuka ate, he turned to look over to Crimson, a question in mind. "Crimson, if you don't mind me asking, what happened a few days back in the attic? I heard something going on but I didn't bother to go up there not only to not make any of you angry at me but because I was making sure Keith didn't try to find something." Crimson took a swig of the blood in his chalice before looking to him.

"It was just a battle between an age old enemy we didn't even knew we had. If you want to know more, I'll tell you another time. But right now, we want to enjoy the feast after all the hardships we went through up to this annual feast." he said and then Yami looked over to him, smiling softly.

"And you should as well. Even without telling us much since we had our own problems to deal with, Destiny told us what you have been doing and protecting our secret so closely from your so-called friends deserves this spot into our family." Kozuka smiled as well before they continued to eat, warm blood dripping onto the floor. After that night, another Halloween was ended for the demons hidden within the forest.

* * *

Zypher: And that's the end. Rushed and kinda sucky but I need to head to bed now so I hope you all enjoyed the story and I shall see you all later with an update to another story.

Note: For those that haven't read and reviewed the epilogue yet, there's has been slight changes but I still think it rushed and a little sucky.


End file.
